The Marni fall ’18 show today at Milan Men’s Fashion Week was all the fun about the shoes.

Backstage, house designer Francesco Risso told FN, “The footwear was the most important thing about the collection; it defined the collection,” he said, adding “it was an expression of travel through a state of mind.”

And it was quite the ride. Childlike and gloriously naïve, the footwear Risso created with Marni shoe designer Achilles Gabriel featured sheeny leather versions of every kid’s favorite rubber boot, done in bright primary colors, while sandals came with felted straps and punchy colored plastic soles straight out of the crayon box. Overblown sneakers completed the offering.

Risso said the sandals were inspired by an African Maasai shoe, while boots took their cue from industrial styles worn in a laboratory. “The ginormous sneakers were almost like a child putting on his father’s shoes,” he said. “The whole vibe is being able to cut and paste and put all these things together in a beautiful way.”

Marni fall ’18.Rex Shutterstock

Marni fall ’18.Rex Shutterstock

Even before proceedings got started, Risso created a fun-filled atmosphere by saying goodbye to regular seating for his guests. Instead, the audience installed themselves on chairs fashioned out of everything from old-school, analog TVs to upended drums. And a lucky few even got to watch the show from decommissioned fairground bumper cars.

As for the unconventional seating, he explained that he “wanted to create connection, so first of all it was important to not sit on a normal chair but to go outside of your comfort zone.”